Almost all cars that leave the home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England, are bespoke and last year over 3,360 cars were commissioned by customers in almost 50 countries around the world

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars elevated its Bespoke department to unprecedented new levels last year, resulting in one of the most significant years for bespoke in the 114-year history of the brand.

The department is an extraordinary collective of designers, engineers and craftspeople, who bring the marque’s discerning and influential patrons’ most ambitious and personal visions to reality.

Today, almost every motor car that leaves the home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England, is bespoke.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars had a highly successful 2017, with a total of 3,362 cars commissioned by customers in almost 50 countries around the world. This result was achieved despite the absence of Phantom from the market and unsettled market conditions in the important Middle East market, it said.

New Phantom was unveiled in July to unprecedented worldwide acclaim by media and prospective customers alike and has a strong order book. Customer deliveries of New Phantom commenced at the beginning of this year.

Here is a snapshot of some of the finest examples of bespoke design and craftsmanship to be completed by the luxury house over the past 12 months:

Sweptail

The ‘Sweptail’ is the first modern coachbuilt Rolls-Royce and redefined the richness of dialogue between a commissioning patron and a true luxury house. Sweptail’s bold design embraces the marque’s heritage as the world’s leading coachbuilder whilst reaffirming its pinnacle position in personalisation.

This automotive equivalent of haute couture draws on the lineage of 1920s and 1930s Rolls-Royce motor cars. The client’s vision was for a coachbuilt two-seater coupé featuring a large panoramic glass roof. The result is a contemporary masterpiece.

The grille, milled from solid aluminium, presents a distinct formality. The side profile of Sweptail defines its stately character, whilst the rear taper of the motor car pays homage to the world of racing yachts, shaping a completely new perception of a dramatic Rolls-Royce coupé. The elegant and characterising rear culminates in the registration number 08, milled from ingots of aluminium and hand polished to a mirror finish.

New Phantom and ‘The Gallery’

New Rolls-Royce Phantom was unveiled to global critical acclaim in 2017. At the heart of the motor car’s design aesthetic is ‘The Gallery’, a contemporary and luxury reinterpretation of a motor car’s dashboard and instrument panel.

An application of glass runs uninterrupted across the fascia, providing an unprecedented opportunity to present artwork, within the motor car. ‘The Gallery’ is an innovation that furthers Rolls-Royce’s unparalleled Bespoke vision and mastery of materials and craft.

Dawn and Wraith at Porto Cervo

Two unique motor cars were created in honour of the 2017 Rolls-Royce Summer Studio, Porto Cervo, Sardinia. A bespoke Dawn Drophead Coupé and a Wraith Black Badge were commissioned to encapsulate the essence of this beguiling island.

Dawn adopted a nautical theme, evoking emotions of a languid Mediterranean sojourn. The Porto Cervo motif, encrusted with genuine sapphires and mother of pearl, is embedded into the front fascia of the motor car. The navy blue and arctic white hues complement an expanse of teak, including the decking and floor.

A special one-off commission unveiled in Dubai in 2017, the ‘Spirit of Calligraphy’ Ghost draws its design inspiration from the ancient art of Arabic calligraphy. Words are harmoniously moulded into shapes, creating a unique effect where texts and images become one. Sir Henry Royce’s resonant words “Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it”, in their Arabic form are shaped into Rolls-Royce’s flying mascot, the Spirit of Ecstasy. The calligraphy motif, created by renowned artist Khaled Al Saai, features as a silver inlay on the centre panel and as embroidery on the rear centre seat, amidst an eye-catching array of Turchese, Black and Arctic White leathers.

Elegance

Commissioned for an individual collector, the Ghost ‘Elegance’ raised the bar of bespoke by becoming the first Rolls-Royce to be finished in a paint infused with diamonds. The flanks of the motor car are highlighted with Mugello Red and Black twin coachlines, reflected inside with black leather seats and accents in Mugello Red, carried through stitching on the doors and piping on the seats. The detailed fascia of smooth open-pore Tudor Oak veneer is also complemented with a Mugello Red single stitch along the top of the dashboard, and finished with a bespoke clock.

Dawn in Fuxia

In 2017, US collector Michael Fux was presented with his 10th bespoke model from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Following a visit to Pebble Beach in 2016, where he collected a cluster of eye-catching fuchsia petals, he challenged the Bespoke team at Goodwood with a commission to bring a striking new colour to Dawn. Subsequently unveiled during The Quail automotive gathering in California, the vibrant ‘Dawn in Fuxia’ represents the addition of another unique hue to the Rolls-Royce Colour Collection, and is reserved exclusively for Fux to use.

Dawn B50 for Hotel Byblos

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Hotel Byblos in Saint-Tropez, France, in 2017, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars revealed the ‘Dawn B50’, a highly bespoke and unique motor car inspired by the warmth and vibrancy of the Côte d'Azur. Commissioned by the Hotel Byblos as the automotive ‘Jewel of Saint-Tropez’, the Dawn B50 exudes two dominant exterior colours. The lustrous combination was developed exclusively to celebrate the hotel’s anniversary, along with bespoke door treadplates and a unique hand-painted coachline on each side bearing the ‘B50’ logo. The sophisticated interior takes inspiration from the intense Mediterranean sun, with vibrant tangerine tones that accentuate the dashboard and echo the stitching across the seat upholstery and floor mats.